In 2017, the Department of Transport provided a grim assessment of the "current realities" of road and rail in South Africa. Vast amounts of money had not fixed public transport. Eighty-eight per cent of freight was being moved by road instead of rail. Road fatality numbers were horrifically high. Other than national roads, road and rail maintenance was terrible. Pedestrians and cyclists were not being catered for in new developments.

Last week, the department provided a brand new assessment of the state of road and rail in South Africa. One thing had changed in the intervening five years: the fraction of freight being moved by road was down to 87%.

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